FEATURES AND NEWS
Action on the Keystone XL pipeline was delayed again by the Obama administration, making a determination on the project unlikely until after the November election, Reuters reports. The State Department extended the comment period until after the Nebraska Supreme Court rules on what path the pipeline should take through the ... Read more »
The global PET packaging market will have grown substantially by 2019, but some manufacturers believe opportunities for lightweighting may have been all but exhausted, according to a report by Smithers Pira. The market will amount to 19.9 million tons and be worth $60 billion by 2019, up from just under 16 ... Read more »
Novelis has introduced the world’s first certified high-recycled content aluminum sheet for beverage cans. Red Hare Brewing is the first to commercially use the evercan aluminum sheet, which is made of a minimum 90 percent recycled content. It is expected to be on store shelves in May in key markets ... Read more »
Brazil’s revised US$6.7 billion annual investment target for water infrastructure through 2033 points to a greater reliance on the private sector, according to a report from Bluefield Research. Private municipal water concessionaires are slated to account for US$750 million annually from 2014 to 2017–11 percent of Brazil’s water infrastructure investment– ... Read more »
Pennzoil introduced synthetic motor oils formulated from natural gas, Pennzoil Platinum and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, with PurePlus Technology. Pennzoil said PurePlus Technology is a patented process that converts pure natural gas into the first-of-its-kind, high quality full synthetic base oil. The company claims the Pennzoil Platinum line of products made with ... Read more »
Partner Content
A free, web-based educational resource for the professional cleaning industry is now offered by P&G Professional, a division of Procter & Gamble. P&G Professional University offers both written and video-based educational content. The Resource Library provides industry-related articles and expert insights, while the Product & Procedures section leads end-users to ... Read more »
EClaim Recovery Specialists has created a new revenue sharing program with businesses that generate large amounts of electronic waste from electronics, computers and networking equipment. The company wants to work with businesses throughout North America that will allow customers to recycle their waste and generate revenue from whole electronic units or dismantled ... Read more »
The EPA app and website that helps citizens learn the condition of lakes, rivers and streams across the country has been upgraded. The How’s My Waterway app available from a smart phone, tablet or desktop computer uses GPS technology or ZIP codes to provide information about local water quality. The ... Read more »
Participating in utility energy efficiency programs can be a win-win. Facility owners and managers can get energy conservation equipment installed at drastically reduced costs and contractors have a fantastic opportunity to increase sales and broaden their client bases. BUT getting the final check in your hands at the end of ... Read more »
On July 1, 2014, the 2013 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24) will take effect. Title 24 will require all new commercial buildings to be net-zero energy by 2030. Sefaira, a software company specializing in cloud-based computing for high-performance building design, itemized some ways Title 24 will have a ... Read more »
Partner Content
Putting computers to sleep at the end of the day and buying efficient IT equipment are just two of the ways the Energy Star Low Carbon IT Campaign suggests companies can reduce the impact of their computing. Companies can save between $10 and $50 per computer per year simply by putting ... Read more »
Both the Oklahoma Senate and House have passed Senate Bill 1456, which would allow utilities to impose a surcharge on customers who install rooftop solar and sign up for net-metering, reports the Oklahoman. The bill now heads to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin for her signature. The bill will require the ... Read more »
Energy Management firm GridPoint announced that Senior Vice President of Marketing Mark Straton (pictured) will now also spearhead GridPoint’s sales force as SVP of sales and marketing. His senior leadership experience in sales and marketing at large organizations such as XEROX, ROLM, IBM and Siemens, and start-ups such as SocialExtract, supports ... Read more »
Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED at the US Green Building Council, said LEED Dynamic Plaque, is currently installed at seven buildings worldwide. “Our goal is to bring the LEED program to life,” Horst told attendees at the Rocky Mountain Green conference in Denver last week. Horst, the chief ... Read more »
The General Services Administration Region 8 Federal Center in Lakewood, Colo., signed a 20-year energy savings performance contract (ESPC) with McKinstry for 15 buildings, reports the Lakewood Sentinel. The $10.8 million contract is projected to result in a total energy savings of 47,000 MMBtu per year. McKinstry has identified about ... Read more »
Coolerado launched its M50 Downflow air conditioning unit that it says can reduce electricity consumption by at least 40 percent during peak demand hours while meeting strict air ventilation standards. The unit delivers an energy efficiency ratio (EER) above 40 when used as a stand-alone product. The ratio is above ... Read more »
For about half of Americans, recycling starts and ends in the kitchen. A new survey shows that 72 percent of consumers consistently recycle in the home, but only about half do so in rooms beyond the kitchen. The 2014 Cone Communications Recycling in the Home Survey shows there are several key barriers ... Read more »
A new toolkit aimed at reducing food waste has been released by food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators. The Best Practices and Emerging Solutions Toolkit was released by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA), a cross-sector industry initiative led by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) ... Read more »
The European Parliament has passed a regulation aimed at preventing and managing the introduction and spread of invasive animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms alien to the European territory. The regulation aims to prevent those organisms from having a negative impact, either on the environment, human health or socio-economic development. Only 11 ... Read more »
In 2012, vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver of light-duty vehicle fell to 12,500, down from a 2007 peak of 12,900 miles, according to US Energy Administration figures. The shift in vehicle miles traveled, or VMT, highlights the importance of travel behavior and its influence on LDV energy consumption. Before the 2007 ... Read more »
UTZ Certified is launching a three-year pilot program in Turkey to bring sustainability standards to hazelnut farming. The program will be implemented across three hazelnut producing regions: Trabzon and Giresun in the Northeast, and Duzce in the Northwest. About 175 farmers are expected to take part. UTZ members such as ... Read more »
Biopolymer manufacturer Meredian is utilizing canola as a new cash crop to revolutionize its biopolymer production. The Georgia-based company said it is the world’s largest producer of PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate). Canola, which is local to Decatur county, has been selected by Meredian as the chief component of its process to produce ... Read more »
Brazil is trying to offset carbon emissions caused by the 2014 Soccer World Cup it is hosting in June by offering owners of United Nations-backed carbon credits to swap them for publicity during the games, according to Reuters. Carbon emissions generated by construction, travel and other activities related to hosting the ... Read more »
Sainsbury’s is the first retailer in the UK retailer allowing customers to recycle their Easter egg packaging in its stores. Customers will be able to recycle all of the discarded packaging – plastic, film, card, foil and ribbon – in the first such facility of its kind at 50 of ... Read more »
A new cogeneration system outside Seattle at King County’s West Point Treatment Plant is now using a waste byproduct of sewage treatment and turning it into electricity and heat to help run the plant. This digester facility puts King County close to its goal of operating one of the nation’s ... Read more »